Jul 18, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ian Kennedy (31) pitches during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Image: Frank Victores-US PRESSWIRE

Here they come.

Maybe most fans around the country haven’t picked up on it yet. But you can bet the other teams in the National League have taken notice. And if they haven’t, they may not realize it before it is too late.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are in the middle of a long winning stretch of games.

The cynics and critics will say the current four game winning streak is a product of the competition, first the woeful Astros and now the sliding Rockies. The next team to visit will be the imploding Mets.  So what, I say. Good teams are supposed to beat up on lesser teams. And beat up seems to be the term with these D-Backs. In their last five wins, Arizona’s smallest margin of victory was last night’s three run difference against Colorado. Even in their one loss sandwiched between those triumphs was a 6-0 lead they inexplicably let get away.

 Let us also remember what the D-Backs did in 2011.  They went 45-25 to close out the season.  Granted, there is no Daniel Hudson around this time but bullpen reinforcements have arrived in the form of Brad Bergesen and Takashi Saito.  Ian Kennedy is now 20-6 with an ERA around 2.75 in 36 career games after the All Star Break (thanks to Scott Bordow at azcentral.com for that nugget).  Of course, there is now Jason Kubel on board to provide the other big bat in the lineup that was absent last season.  As the trade deadline comes and goes, expect Justin Upton to be more relaxed and carry the offense for two weeks at some point. 

Yes, D-Back fans there are plenty of reasons to be pumped.  After all of the drama that has gone on the first three and a half months of 2012, the team is right in the playoff hunt.  Get ready for some exciting, winning baseball over the next two months.

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Jul. 6, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Diamondbacks pitcher Wade Miley (left) is congratulated by manager Kirk Gibson during a ceremony honoring him as an all star prior to the game against the Dodgers at Chase Field. Image: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Cockiness, particularly for a young pitcher, can be a good thing.  The ability to bounce back after a demoralizing performance and focus on the next start is essential for a rookie hurler.  However, cockiness, mixed with indifference and sprinkled with stubbornness can result in a quick return to AAA.  If not harnessed properly, it could put a screeching halt to a promising career.  At the moment, this appears to be the case with Trevor Bauer.

According to a story on Azcentral.com, it seems Bauer does not want to change his pitching style in order to retire Major League hitters.   “My approach is really hitter independent; it doesn’t matter who is at the plate. I’m going to throw to my strengths”, Bauer stated.  It is one thing to have a great belief in your stuff.  That certainly is admirable.  However, Bauer will also need to realize that you have to be able to exploit even the average hitter’s’ weaknesses in order to succeed at the Big League level.  Does anyone think that Randy Johnson is going to the Hall of Fame because he just blew people away without a plan?  Bauer will find out quickly he will need to rely on his catcher, no matter who it is, to help guide him through the early part of his career. 

Speaking of catchers, Miguel Montero seems to be a little teed off at the attitude of the recent call-up.  After Thursday’s game, he was told Bauer would want a meeting with him to sort out any differences.  “I don’t know anything about it,” he said.  “He knows where my locker is if he wants to come talk to me. … I’m not in the mood right now to talk about Bauer.”   Yikes.  Maybe it was frustration with both Bauer and the fact his team just dropped their sixth game in a row.  It is clear pitcher and catcher definitely need a meeting of the minds.

In all likelihood, Bauer’s start on Sunday will determine if he is with the club after the All Star break.  Joe Saunders will be scheduled to come off the Disabled List and Josh Collmenter  had a strong outing Friday night.   Manager Kirk Gibson has no problem sending Bauer down if he implodes again.  Maybe then he will take a bite out of some humble pie.

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Sep. 27 2011; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks fans cheer after infielder Ryan Roberts (not pictured) hit a walk off grand slam during the tenth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE

The Arizona Diamondbacks held their annual FanFest this past weekend and the turnout was remarkable. Attendance was counted at 25,000 people, a staggering jump from the 2010 Fest which drew 10,000 attendees. For more on this, check it out here, courtesy of azcentral.com. Let us hope it is only the beginning of a fan resurgence for Diamondbacks baseball.

The attendance at Arizona home games has been down over the past few seasons.  They have finished no better than 11th out of 16 National League teams over the past five years.  During their 2007 National League West Division Championship year,  the D-Backs drew almost 2.33 million fans, 12th in the league.  Even last season’s 94-win team drew only 2.1 million people.  Maybe if there are a few more seasons like 2011,  Chase Field can once again be a hotbed of baseball, capable of consistently attracting between 2.5 million and 3 million fans.  Even though I live in New York, I can remember a time when it was a big deal that Yankee Stadium broke the 3 million mark.  Of course it only took their 79th season in Yankee Stadium to do it.  Arizona has already done it three times in 14 seasons.

I haven’t heard this publicly but maybe there are media outlets and other folks who don’t consider Diamondback fans to be any good given their less than average numbers.   That is not fair.  Yankee Stadium is mostly packed every game.  All I hear is how great New York Yankee  fans are.   Well, I have witnessed both Derek Jeter  and Mariano Rivera  get booed at home.   You tell me if those are good fans.  Maybe not every D-Back game is sold out, but there are still plenty of vocal, loyal fans.  It takes time and a winning tradition to build a good and consistent fan base.  Remember, the Diamondbacks are only entering their 15th season.  If they can put together a couple of consecutive first or second place finishes, I bet we won’t be talking about empty seats at Chase.  

Perhaps the lackluster showing in recent attendance can be attributed to the sour economy and the team’s up-and-down seasons.  I can only speculate as I live 2,500 miles away.  I would love to hear what other Arizona fans have to say about it.  If the FanFest is any indication, the Arizona Diamondbacks may have just turned the corner from novelty act to sports fixture.

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